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UPDATED! Neil Gaiman's AMERICAN GODS Going To Happen On Screen?
Well, according to Deadline, it looks like HBO will be bringing Gaiman's novel to screen - the small screen, and as a new fantasy series for them. Playtone (Tom Hanks' production company) will be behind this production, with Robert Richardson and Neil Gaiman writing the opening episode. I guess Richardson was the multiple Oscar winner that Gaiman was talking about.
Good choice for HBO, although a SANDMAN series wouldn't have been terrible either. But AMERICAN GODS certainly has enough material to sustain a series, I think, especially with Gaiman behind it.
Nordling, out.
Nordling here.
Neil Gaiman's work shouldn't be difficult to put on film, but many of his novels have struggled to be adapted. Now comes word that AMERICAN GODS is going to happen, with a cinematographer and a director "who has many, many Oscars and is, I think, a genius", according to Gaiman himself. Apparently the rights were signed last week sometime. Here's a video with a little more information:
AMERICAN GODS is the story of how humanity's various deities throughout the centuries still exist but are now weaker since we have moved on from them. It's a terrific read, like so much of Gaiman's work. We can only speculate about who the director is - any thoughts? And personally, I'd love to see GOOD OMENS adapted sometime. I know that particular book has been struggling to get made into a film for years. Thanks to Bleeding Cool for the heads up.
Nordling out.
Readers Talkback
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But it would have to be done right...
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Best. News. Ever.
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I know some people who are about to lose they damn mind over this. Don't fuck this up.
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March 28, 2011, 5:57 a.m. CST
Oscar winning director making a film based on a Gaiman book?
by Spifftacular Squirrel Girl
....EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!! I wonder who the director is... any guesses? Maybe Francis Ford Coppola?
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I bet ya. I just have a weird feeling it could be Kaminski. Having read American Gods i can see Kaminski's artistry with a camera doing wonders here. Gaiman describes whoever it is as a "cinematographer and director" and director's that are their own DPs (like Soderbergh, Rodriguez etc) are unlikely to be described as a cinematographer first, but Kaminski (having made very little as a director) would be described that way. Gaiman also says he has multiple Oscars - that rules out the likes of Rodriguez but would obviously allow both Kaminski (2 Oscars from 4 noms) and Soderbergh (1 Oscar from 3 nominations). He also says whoever it is fell in love with the book and has been trying to get it done for 7 years, which might fit with Kaminski looking for a new directorial project after the disappointing Lost Souls. Of course Soderbergh is ecclectic and prolific and could well tackle this book too so i wouldn't rule him out. He certainly would be in a far better and more likely position to buy the rights. I'm thinking it's one of these two. Could make a great film. Probably won't though!
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This is a great read, comes highly recommended, and I hope the adaptation would be very raw, as it is certainly not some "superhero" film ala Thor. This is a very very deep book, can't wait to hear who does this.
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Perfect for the role.
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My money's on Howard. First gunslinger, and next American Gods. I doubt it's Peter Jackson -- he's only won one Oscar, and Neil Gaiman is a pompous ass about the LOTR films (seriously Neil, they're not that bad -- get over your high horse and build a bridge, buddy... no one will make a better LOTR film in your lifetime).
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Assuming the DoP and the director are the same person. Either that or it's Peter Hyams, which sounds pretty unlikely to me...
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Nordling: Good Omens is being adapted by Terry Jones as a TV 4-parter. The first half of the interview you linked to above is all about that - http://bit.ly/fqGbVp
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The two are great mates. Del Toro hasn't won "many, many" Oscars though. I bet it's del Toro though. No Hobbit, no Lovecraft, so I bet del Toro is looking for another project, and this would suit him.
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I've read everything of his, I think. Even the kids stuff. And I've listened to him read most of his own audio books. I've met him once and have a signed copy of Neverwhere with "Mind the Gap" written on it. I do love his work. But American Gods just didn't wow me at all. If anyone else wants to spend 5 minutes to tell me how wrong I am, and why American Gods is just so frickin awesome, please do.
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about time.
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March 28, 2011, 6:17 a.m. CST
V'Shael -- American Gods is better than Stargate: Universe
by Wookie_Weed
Enough said. ;-)
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Yep. The Rock would be awesome as Shadow. As for Mr. Wednesday i´d pick Ian McKellan.
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I don't recall the story having that many scenes, that would need extremely heavy effect work. I'm still waiting for Sandman movie.
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Tom Hardy all beefed up. His tatted up look in THE WARRIOR is on the right track. Black hair. Good to go. Director? Danny Boyle maybe.
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March 28, 2011, 6:39 a.m. CST
Danny Boyle would be a fantastic pick for director
by Spifftacular Squirrel Girl
I could get behind that choice.
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Darabont. BOOM! Done. That look he had for TH WALKING DEAD would suit AMERICAN GODS well.
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March 28, 2011, 6:44 a.m. CST
Shadow was never a successfully realized character to me.
by Monolith_Jones
He sort of reminds me of Jose Conseco, flat personality and a bit dull. When he does the sleight of hand tricks it comes across as extremely forced, it just wasn't believable. Still a great book.
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A former wrestler acting with Sir Ian McKellen? I'd pay to see that! Danny Boyle's a good pick, but he's only won one Oscar. Maybe Gaiman is joking about the "many, many Oscars". My money's still on del Toro. Whoever it is, please don't let it be Zach Snyder!
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You know who would nail this shit to the wall? Oliver FUCKING Stone. Dreamy stuff from films like THE DOORS or even U TURN. Desert landscapes from the same movies. Stone could make this into a brilliant film. No bullshit Jack.
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It just will not translate. As a book it works but as a movie, I just can't see people coming out to see it. Unless they have read the book. In which case they will be disappointed because that is one big book to be condensed into a two hour movie. I am a question mark on this one.
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Someone mentioned to her that Neil Gamain likes fairy tales too. Instead of a giant mechanical spider, we'll get a giant metal elephant pushed by muscular black men!
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Can't wait to see how that scene gets realized onscreen. Seriously though, whoever it is better have the balls to make a dark, R-rated flick.
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I feel ya on that. Casting will be key. I think that "blank slate" feel to the Shadow character could be a blessing to the right thespian. So many choices could be made. No offense to previous suggestions..I like The Rock but I think this role requires a deeper commitment. Can't wait to see Dwayne beat the piss out of Vin in FAST FIVE though. Dwayne looks like a bad mother. I actually wanna see that. There goes any cred my previous posts may have had.
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...there'd be massive liberties taken with the novel. Gaiman understands that (and maybe make him realise why Peter Jackson did what he did with LOTR). How could they translate the waitress-who-killed-a-kitten scene to the big screen? The screenplay will have to be snappy with the dialogue -- my gods, Tarantino?!
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We all know that scene has NO SHOT at making it into the film. Sad but true.
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unless it's filmed as anime. and it has tentacles.
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I almost hate to suggest it but....Bridges. He is almost to all over the place at this point but I think he has the gravitas and swagger the character needs. Plus he has already done the one eye thing with Rooster.
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1. Guillermo del Toro 2. Stephen Spielberg 3. Ron Howard (tied up with the Dark Tower?) 4. Steven Soderbergh 5. Danny Boyle 6. Quentin Tarantino 7. Janusz Kaminski 8. Frank Darabont 9. Catherine Hardwicke 10. Zach Snyder Ok, the last two are jokes, I just wanted a Top Ten. Del Toro is the obvious choice, but he doesn't have the cinematography cred. Spielberg has the Oscars, but the smart choice is on Spielberg's #1 cinematographer and director in his own right -- Janusz Kaminski.
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Should be one heck of a movie.
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I just got to a real computer and watched the video. Not sure the cinematographer and director are one and the same. He kind of runs the 2 together but I think he was saying they have both guys NOT one guy with both backgrounds. I could be wrong. Might open that list up though. Del Toro seems like the go to guy but sadly........I am sick of hearing him attached to projects. He is on my "I'll believe it when I see it" list.
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Yeah I was thinking the same thing, that Gaiman really said he has a cinematographer and a director attached, not one person who is both. I just couldn't see Janusz Kaminski doing something like American Gods. Whereas Gaiman's novel is right up del Toro's alley -- plus they're good friends. del Toro doesn't have much else on his director's plate in the near future either. Surely something del Toro agrees to will actually get made this time? I bet Gaiman's reading this with a twinkle in his eye.
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...my first choice as director will always be Uwe Boll. The job is his if he wants it.
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I am surprised that Hollywood hasn't rushed to adapt the Graveyard Book yet? Looks like a no-brainer, easy money and movie to make! Stardust = amazingly well done, adult fairy tale!
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Zemekis?
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I wanted to see Pete Postlethwaite as Cernobog.
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Since we've seen the brooding, fallen god/hero before... maybe Bryan Singer could do it? Mel Gibson could do it pretty well. I would love to see a Neill Blomkamp version. Or let it be Spielberg's next put-on-the-shelf project.
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March 28, 2011, 8:20 a.m. CST
wookie weed, what is the source for gaimans lotr-movie hate?
by AshMcQ
In this link here from 2001, he says he love the first one: http://journal.neilgaiman.com/2001/12/saw-lord-of-rings-last-night-and.asp
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March 28, 2011, 8:50 a.m. CST
Can't wait to see the epic final battle from the book on the screen
by billcom6
oh wait
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David Tenant as Loki?
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March 28, 2011, 9:05 a.m. CST
Who is the director and cinematographer? Once we know that, then it will be news.
by Stereotypical Evil Archer
And I hope it's good news, when it happens.
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Hopefully Gaiman will oversee this production, and make sure it is executed in just the right way.
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No, that would be Sandman. Without a doubt, a magnum opus. American Gods is just an okay novel with a really interesting setup and an anti-climactic resolution. Sandman is probably one of the most brilliantly conceived narrative structures of any novel or comic ever done. Things in the first few issues that pay off completely, layers of thematic connections, just brilliance. When Sandman is adapted faithfully, then Gaiman will finally be done a service by Hollywood.
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MARK MY WORDS.
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I have to say, even though I have enjoyed a lot of Neil Gaiman's comic book work in the past, I really did not care for AMERICAN GODS. I remember buying it before boarding a plane to read it during the trip, and I just couldn't finish it. I just thought it was incredibly boring. I tried again on a subsequent trip, and it was the same story. I never finished it and probably never will. No interest to see this unless it is radically different than the book.
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That's how I always saw him. This is a great book. What made it even better was picking it up from the bookstore with no clue what it was about, and having no history with Neil Gaiman. I was just thumbing through some books and it caught my eye. I can see this turning out to be a very good, yet moody movie.
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When I saw the Dublin premiere of Coraline a few years back there was a Q&A with Gaiman afterwords where he said he was meeting with Neil Jordan (Who was also in the audience) the next day to discuss the screenplay of the Graveyard Book. So that would have been back in May 2009; who knows if it's still going anywhere.
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Josh needs work.
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Tried about 5 times. Wanted to like it. Thematically it's great. But it's just one damn thing after another, and the main character is entirely passive. Too long for a meandering story. Zzzzzzzz.
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Carla Gugino as Easter and I always saw Billy Connelly as the Odin he encounters at the very end.
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Could be him and Lesnie.
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This is one of my favorite books of the last decade, hands down. The thing though: IT'S FUCKING ENORMOUS. So rich with stuff... I can see the temptation to do this but I fear it will be a false dawn. I don't know why you would do something crazy like suggest Josh Holloway for Shadow. Of course he would be perfect... which is why they will, of course, cast Ryan Reynolds.
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I haven't read as many of Gaiman's books as you have, but I agree that I am not liking this book as much. I have put it down a few times and have had to force myself to go back to it. As I read it, I keep asking "Okay, where are we going with this." Maybe the motivations and plot are more realized during the latter part of the book, but where I am it seems like it is just waffling all over the place.
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Ron Howard would end up doing this way before Soderbergh, I feel.
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I read it sporadically for about a month. Once I got about a third of the way through, it started getting really addicting and by the time I reached the halfway point I ended up staying up til 3 in the morning because I couldn't put it down.
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In the past Gaimen has said that American Gods wouldn't translate into film, but that he wanted to do Anansi Boys. Wonder what changed his mind. And I'm not sure about the many oscars bit, but what about Terry Gilliam? He was attached to Good Omens years ago.
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March 28, 2011, 10:36 a.m. CST
Please don't be Ron "The King of Mediocrity" Howard
by Der Aggravated Piscine
Jackson would be ok--though not ideal. I'd love to see Fincher do this, but his schedule looks crammed as it is.
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It was a real misfire imo. AMERICAN GODS, however, is a classic.
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Also: no Tim Burton, no Ron Howard, and for the love of all things holy, no Peter Jackson. Maybe... MAYBE del Toro?
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He's already got experience playing the role and I think he's perfect.
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http://pythonline.com/media/terry-jones-adapting-pratchett-gaimans-good-omens Terry Jones adapting Good Omens as a mini series
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March 28, 2011, 10:48 a.m. CST
I am actually more OK with AG being put to film than I would be SANDMAN
by ATrue
THAT would be a mistake, on the scale of making the Dark Tower series into movies... and for largely the same reason: good fucking luck casting the lead. It cannot be done. What should they do? Find a total unknown, who actually looks the part. What WILL they do? Cast Ryan Reynolds. Or Tobey Maguire, maybe. Although, Gilliam would be perfect to direct. Sandman, I mean, not AG.
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March 28, 2011, 10:50 a.m. CST
Please not Barry Sonnenfeld. Please not Barry Sonnenfeld. Please not Barry Sonnenfeld.
by Dr Lizardo
Please not Barry Sonnenfeld.
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I was wrong about that one. VERY wrong. Gilliam would make it a Gilliam film. Not a bad thing usually... but not right for Gaiman. Oooh. I'd love to see Raimi's take.
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I just hope he doesn't fail with this one
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That would be extraordinarily stupid.
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March 28, 2011, 10:56 a.m. CST
I don't know. GODS is another book that needs all its glorious, rambling sprawl.
by FlickaPoo
I suppose it's possible there's a tight, lean narrative in there, but...I don't know about this.
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Make it so! That would be best case scenario imo.
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It will lose the lush complexity of Gaiman's prose (not to mention the plethora of stories with stories), but the basic plotline is pretty straightforward.
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There is a shit ton of cool characters and set pieces in the book and no 2.5hr movie is going to be enough. Smart agents should be sending these geeky yet beloved books to Tom Hanks - he has the pull to get an 8hr 100 million dollar HBO series off the ground. That's what this book and Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell needs.
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that could work.
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March 28, 2011, 11:07 a.m. CST
The Coens would be THE BEST for this project imo
by Der Aggravated Piscine
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I'm assuming Gaiman doesn't just mean oscars for best director. Because there wouldn't be ANY directors alive fitting the description of having "many" let alone "many, many" oscars for best director.
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And I would LOVE to see Depp with blonde hair, on steroids. That would be the PERFECT choice for Shadow.
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I just realized who likely is going to direct this: Robert Zemeckis. We'll be lucky if the fucker is live action.
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...I've ever run into in this godforsaken place...or almost any other place, for that matter.
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March 28, 2011, 11:16 a.m. CST
This book was made for for either Werner Herzog to adapt.
by THE_CHOPPAH
Him or Paul Water Shit Anderson.
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Sorry to blather like that, my darlings.
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March 28, 2011, 11:18 a.m. CST
You know, he has a legion of haters, but Danny Boyle, maybe?
by ATrue
I'm befuddles re: the Coens idea. Not sure if I love it or hate it... thinking, not if they do it in True Grit mode. If they do it in Oh Brother mode, maybe... Nah. Thinking, no.
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Makes sense.
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Too many tangents. Too much laborious world-building. That novel needed a good editor.
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March 28, 2011, 11:21 a.m. CST
I just completed some laborious world-building myself.
by THE_CHOPPAH
I feel another coming on, though.
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...you need to sit on it a little longer.
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March 28, 2011, 11:25 a.m. CST
I must say, though, this book was a bit ordinary for my liking.
by THE_CHOPPAH
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I snorfed a whole cheese wheel last night. I'm bound tighter than a book put together by Trappist monks.
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...I tell people to read 50 pages, if it seems like a place you'd like to spend some time...stick around. If not, probably best to skip it. I liked it quite a lot.
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The prose writing style--not the plot--put me off.
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is who I always pictured
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Or, at least, she tried to. Its a massive book. I think she gave up somewhere in the middle. I thought it sounded cool.
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but with magic. It doesn't even try to be approachable or to give a contemporary reader a helping hand.
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that was a hell of a thing.
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has to be a big fella. Great presence on the screen. I'm searching Google now.
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Why NOT Jackson?? Great characters and story...just curious....and why not Scorsese and Chapman? That would be cool.
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Rutger Hauer for Mr Wednesday
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Living Directors with more than one best director oscar. Though maybe we're talking producing/writing as well and then Cameron comes into the mix? Personally, I think Ang Lee would do amazing on this. But - remember folks - if the script sucks - the movie sucks. Let Joss Whedon have the script.
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No REALLY great director will touch it. `Well, in a perfect world...
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anyways... is a fucking genius. I'm also liking both Billy Connelly and Anthony Hopkins for Odin... although I'm not sure Billy Connelly feels robust enough. I actually pictured him- no shit, through the whole book- as George Segal. I DON'T KNOW WHY.
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I always thought a mean version of Zachary Smith with a little kick your ass Eastern Euro vibe....but then again I am tired...
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REALLY great directors have still made REALLY crappy movies. REALLY great writers can make some hackneyed stuff too (I though Orci Kurzman could do a helluva job on this if they bring their star trek a game and not their transformers game)
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nice one.
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True. Very true. But I would hope that the caliber of director folks are talkin about would not agree with a sub-par script. But then again, that is always the case. So fingers crossed...
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Michael Bay will be all over this Charlie Sheen on a pair of $20 whores.
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I see Ron Howard and Co. making a steaming pile of shat. Or worse? M. Night...
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I wanted to like this book, I really, really did. I love big, sweeping tomes that, when not being read, can double as paperweights. Or door-stoppers. This one was so faithful to the Victorian genre it strayed into the mind-numbing, and not in a good way. Too much exposition, not enough actual plot... and I guess the whole notion of what a magician would REALLY have been used for, had they existed, was a bit too pedestrian. This book made the notion of being a magician sound about as exciting as being a college professor, which maybe was the point. Anyway, made it halfway through, then realized I was STILL pushing through, waiting for it to pick up steam and had to quit. Nolan should direct the movie.
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Again, Billy Connelly would be great as a cameo for the Odin at the end of the book that Shadow encounters in....Canada, maybe? That character always gave off this very wise, warm, all-knowing vibe to me and I feel like Connelly could capture that. He's the Odin that actually gives off the Allfather vibe to me. Liking Rutger Hauer for Wednesday, although while we're on the subject of weird pictures we always had of Wednesday, I do not know why, but I always got the vibe that Wednesday was a buffer, older, more grizzled David Tennant. Again. Do not know why.
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And i finish ninety eight percent of the books i pickup. That one i put down. So over rated.
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March 28, 2011, 12:31 p.m. CST
For some reason, my mental Wednesday had a little Centauri...
by FlickaPoo
from LAST STARFIGHTER in him.
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March 28, 2011, 12:31 p.m. CST
Maybe Coppola? Or Spielberg? Basically anyone but Ron Howard
by Proman1984
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Perfect casting.
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March 28, 2011, 12:54 p.m. CST
Flick, let me see if I have any of Ye Essential Saltes for Robert Preston.
by THE_CHOPPAH
Nope... 'fraid I'm clean out. Fuck me, I love THE LAST STARFIGHTER.
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March 28, 2011, 12:54 p.m. CST
Maybe Guillermo Del Toro will get this project after Pacific Rim folds.
by THE_CHOPPAH
Then, Ron Perlman should play Wednesday.
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Probly Zemeckis. Same fuck Gaiman worked with for BEOWULF. Zemeckis = reborn hack. He's a perfect example of how far you can fall, people.
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GO has moved into active development. Per Neil, it will be a 4-episode mini. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/monty-python-writer-adapt-neil-168792
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Coraline was aces!
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Brian Cox is the only man who can play Wednesday. Clancy Brown for Mad Sweeney, Giancarlo Esposito for Nancy or Mr. Jacquel, and fuck if I know for Shadow. That's a hard role to cast. Whoever they cast as Shadow has to be physically imposing, but have the ability to come off as a blank spot in a room. Hehe- Vin Diesel might actually be right for that role.
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Lets start the petition now....Dustin Hoffman as Odin. When I read that book I kept picturing Odin as Dustin Hoffman. Plus, Director wise i didn't it as very dark except for the wife. If Robert Zemeckis still did life action movies he'd be perfect.
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He is one of the best writers in any medium of course that's a given, however what most people don't know is he is a nice ,genuine and funny person and I hope this gets made
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He's the visionary director of 300 you know. I mean, I'm sure he'll have lots of Oscars one day. Don't you think?
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He's the visionary director of 300 you know. I mean, I'm sure he'll have lots of Oscars one day. Don't you think?
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I say John Goodman for Wednesday, although I do like the previously mentioned suggestions of Ruger Hauer and Geoffrey Rush.
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And of course, I meant Rutger the actor, not Ruger the gun...
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Just because of all the great side stories and so they can make it as true to the book as possible...
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Kinda weird to see how it was really just a snapshot of properties I was into at the time: Shadow: Dwayne Johnson/The Rock Wednesday: Dennis Hopper ;_; (Rutger Hauer/Geoffrey Rush pretty genius picks above, tho) Easter: Cynthia Ettinger Mr. Nancy: Morgan Freeman Mr. Ibis: Ben Kingsley Horus: Gael Garcia Bernal Laura: Rachel McAdams Bilquis: Monica Bellucci Tech Boy: Jonah Hill Mad Sweeny: Brendan Gleeson Bast: Aishwarya Rai Chad Mulligan: John C. Reily Hinzelmann: Abe Vigoda Buffalo God: Ian McShane
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I'm all for Brian Cox as Wednesday... Also, maybe Clive Owen if he bulked up a bit for Shadow..
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...I think this will be shit. The guy is overrated. It's a B Movie concept stretched far too thin. And I have it on good authority that the guy picks up Mexican low pay workers and strangles them in his shower. Pathetic.
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Holloway's a great actor, love his work, but the problem with him as Shadow is that Holloway has a look about him that kind of screams personality. Shadow needs to be played by a guy that, as said, can just be a spot in the room. He's a character that is completely hollowed within the first chapter or 2 of the book. Thomas Jane would be spot on. Physically imposing, capable of being an extremely soft-spoken, sweet character.
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= Boners.. yes please
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He can do sort of blank-slate stuff w/o coming off as morose--see Children of Men. I always got the impression that Shadow was half-black from his mother (hurr). Not a dealbreaker, really, because it has little bearing on his arc or character but I MAD because Hollywood has whitewashed lead roles so many times merely for the sake of money or "marketing" that it's become tiresome.
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but as I've said (I don't mean to be pushing this too hard), Thomas Jane, physically, is already Clive Owen bulked up.
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Loved the book. I always pictured someone like Brenda Gleeson, Brian Cox, or Albert Finney for Mr. Wednesday. Kind of a bigger/rounder presence but a bit a bit of a con artist as well. Monica Bellucci is spot on grimtuesday.
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Would be good for Wednesday. Shadow? I dunno.
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Tony Curran for Mad Sweeney. Come on. How about Ray Stevenson for Shadow?
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Arnold as Wednesday.
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sandman movie with Johnny Depp. Coulda used that instead of sucker punch for fucks sake
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for awhile there, i thought he was an alien great novel...cant really see it as a movie just as long as they never fuck up sandman, im ok
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You're welcome.
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Now for the director of American Gods? Hrmm... Dream would be Guillermo del Toro, but he doesn't have Oscars stuffed to the rafters (yet). If I had to place my bets, I'd say it's Milos Forman, and I think he'd do a damn fine job of Gaiman's book.
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It'd be cool if Terry Gilliam directed this or Good Omens. How many levels of fucked up cool would that be?
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Some nice ideas, gods on earth as people yada yada but nothing seems to happen.. couldn't even finish it.. stopped half way. Tried once more but put it down again after another 30 pages or so. Was bored out of my mind. Don't really see what all the fuss is about. (He has an awesome writing style though, I'll give him that.)
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March 28, 2011, 6:43 p.m. CST
Book was terrible. Stupid ending, poorly written deities.
by golden tribw
Gaiman wouldn't know a myth if it tore his asshole inside out.
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And as much as I like Anthony Hopkins as Mr. Wednesday, I always imagined him fattier. Brendan Gleeson would be a good choice.
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Jim Caviezel or John Cusack for Shadow Morgan Freeman for Mr. Nancy Rade Serbedzija for Czernobog Jonah Hill as the Fat Kid Jennifer Coolidge as Eoster
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It's his fucking rabid fanboys that put him #1 on every list. Seriously, if Neil pissed in a cup, they'd line up to drink it. I wish people would stop making him out to be the motherfucking messiah of fantasy. It's a personality cult.
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Perfection.
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He hasn't been at his best since his SANDMAN run.
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Even when nobody knows what the FUCK he's trying to do.
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It's good form.
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Josh Holloway? Depp? John Cusak? GTFO!!!! <p> Read the novel again and get a fucking clue. Shadow is not white. Maybe half white, at the most. At two different parts of the novel, he's asked if he's part black (by the prison guard) and part Native American (by Sam). <p> That's why I think The Rock or Vin Diesel would be the two best choices. <p> Gaiman said he based Wednesday off actor Rip Torn. I think Bridges would be great.
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I've seen far too many contradictory posts on this. I must know the truth.
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Yep, again.
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Everyone seems to be on the Tom Hardy bandwagon for him to star in every film. Fuck. Off. Shadow is half black, half native american. Read the fucking book. Which is why Dwayne Johnson has the look. Clive Owen, Harding, Thomas Jane... seriously, what the fuck?!
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Howard gets really obsessed with source material and while he's not my first choice (I'd kill to see Alfonso Cuaron direct it), he'd probably be OK. Actually, I'd rather see Christopher Nolan do it, too. It needs a rather Grand Guignol-y director, someone who's not afraid of dark stories.
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Which would make him Scandinavian? I'll have to re-read the book to find his description.
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March 29, 2011, 12:13 a.m. CST
American Gods looks CG'd, not painstaking stop motion.
by Dennis_Moore
Ha, ha, just being mean. Gaiman got bent out of shape when talkbackers wrote that about Coraline.
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I'm sure it's been discussed already but if I had a pick for Shadow, I imagine him as a younger Michael Madsen. Since that ain't gonna happen, I wonder who?
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about Shadow bein' half black and half native. Damn reading while at work!
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He's doing Liberace with Michael Douglas, then Man From U.N.C.L.E. with Clooney, then retiring.
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Shadow can be Tom Hardy or Dwayne Johnson
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. . . so sorry if I repeat what's already been said. But how is anyone suggesting Shadow be played by a white guy? I feel like a broken record, but it should be a TV series, w/ all the intercalary chapters included. But I shouldn't argue if I'm going to get to see it in a film. As for directors, my first choice would be Cuaron. But there are tons to pick from that could do it. Fincher, Boyle, Tarantino, Jackson & Scorcese to name just a few.
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The Rock has to be Shadow
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I enjoyed every word of it in the book and I'd hate to have that imagery muddled with someone else's ideas. I think The Graveyard Book would be a much easier, faithful and visually pleasing movie to make...but in the wrong hands may come off looking too much like "The Frighteners".
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I want, please. Thank you. <p> I agree that Sandman is his best work by FAAAAAR. It was so good that it spawned a Sandman universe where readers were happy to return just to get a small taste of something they loved. The original series was 75 issues and while I'm not sure how many books have spun out of that universe in total, I think its probably at least 200, maybe 300 (maybe more). The Dreaming, Sandman Presents, the sibling mini-series, Lucifer, even Books of Magic (and a ton of others). Most likely the best thing the man will ever create and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. <p> But American Gods is second for me, so I'd be stoked to see it on the screen (big or small). <p> I'd like to see something small and odd, too. Like Signal To Noise, or an anthology of his short stories put to film. One of this young reader novels wouldn't be a bad idea, either. <p> Good Omens, eh, I do like it, but its never been a favorite. I wouldn't complain if that one ever made it to the screen, though. <p>TOTALLY agree about Anansi Boys being a strike. It missed by a mile for me. Only thing he's ever written that I don't like.
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I really don't care what color Shadow's skin is. I never got a particular impression of his race in the book (granted, it's been a little while since I last read it, which I should rectify soon). Honestly, I don't see how it matters.
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I wasn't too impressed with Anansi Boys either, but every other Gaiman fan I have spoken to in person since I read it said they thought it was better than American Gods. I don't get that at all. Gonna re-read it some time to see if perhaps there was just something I missed...
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As mentioned earlier, I don't feel like it's CRUCIAL to the character. I like Dwayne Johnson but I want somebody that's proven himself in full, which he sure hasn't. Again, I'm on the Jane Train
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You know it to be true! He would be awesome casting.
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March 30, 2011, 8:22 a.m. CST
The post above has ruined my enjoyment of this news and thread
by Smack_Teddy
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April 1, 2011, 8 p.m. CST
well i would love David Lynch to have some involvement with getting Sandman: Preludes and Nocturnes
by Smack_Teddy
of the ground in some way/shape/form as moving images and sound
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April 1, 2011, 8:01 p.m. CST
it would be furthur bat shit nuts but cool if Batman literally made a tiny 2/3second cameo in montage or something, barely as a sillouette
by Smack_Teddy
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April 1, 2011, 8:03 p.m. CST
but not in an angry fever dream as a skull like Predator 2/Blackest night
by Smack_Teddy
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HBO MINISERIES IS THE WAY TO GO. This is great fucking news.
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He'd probably never commit to an HBO series, but The Rock would make the perfect Shadow. And just as a related note, Shadow's race is unknown, he's just described as being dark complexion and big. Just pointing it out as there seem to be a few posts definitively throwing down his race. Anyways, I'm pumped to see this moved to HBO. I think the book is great, but I also see a lot of room for improvement, I'm hopeful that the series will use the book as a spring board for a kick ass fantasy series, rather than a slavish adaptation (in the same way True Blood adapts the bones of the novels, but is still telling its own story).
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As in, with a well defined beginning, middle, and end. HBO series tend to be good, and end well. But it might be best not to stretch out this story just to make filler episodes (or extra seasons if it's popular). We in America need to start emulating other countries and produce self-contained stories with decisive endings. They just tend to be better on the whole.
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(That was pretty low-key, huh?)
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Danny Glover as the african spider god who keeps singing about his big balls. Vinnie Jones as the russian god who keeps wanting to smack Shadow with his hammer.
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Actually just started watching Carnivale last night, loving it even though I know damn well I'm not getting a real ending.
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has had his hand in some brilliant visual films like shudder island and inglorious bastards im a huge fan of neil gaiman and i love that HBO is making this into a series .. this is a book that deserves space to breathe and thats what a series will do.
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... (except that, at least on paper, it seems to mine a similar idea of Gods in modern times) but has anyone seen a New Zealand show called 'The Almighty Johnsons'? Copy/past from wiki - The show follows Axl Johnson who discovers his family members are Norse gods. The only problem is, they don't have full control of their powers and it is up to Axl (the reincarnation of Odin) to restore them. Back to the subject, really looking forward to both 'American Gods' and 'Good Omens' (of course, I really enjoyed the tv version of 'Neverwhere', so I'm easy). Anyway, just curious if anyone had seen 'Almighty Johnsons', and if it was worth tracking down. Thanks.
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April 14, 2011, 9:08 p.m. CST
Wow this has to be the longest time between a story being posted and then updated.
by D.Vader
I mean, over two weeks later? I think that could be a new post at this point.
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I find many talentless people gravitate towards Gaiman. But hey, even I waited in line to have him sign his first DEATH mini-series for me -- in the mid-90's.
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Eh, I'm excited for this project. I'm by no means one of Gaiman's rampant fans that, as somebody very accurately stated back when this story was first posted, would pay to drink a cup of his piss, but American Gods is a book I love and I'm thrilled that they're turning it into a series rather than a movie.
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Are American Gods and Sandman. Not a big fan of Anansi Boys, haven't actually read anything past that.
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As the main roll in a mini-series was my thought when the book came out. I was young and boiler room, saving private ryan, and pitch black all made me think Vin was Shadow. Main character was shadow, Yeah?
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Are you people trying to kill me with these horrible casting suggestions? This is a great book and Shadow is a terrific character - jeez, I'd rather see the constantly flogged AICN fave Michael Shannon in the role before any of these jokers. I have to have faith in Richardson's and Hanks's particle of brain - neither of them would want to torpedo this mini with terrible casting. That said, I have no idea who would be good in the role other than Hamish Linklater, who I now want to see in everything whether he's right for it or not. Jeebus. NO LUNKISH A-HOLES AS SHADOW. OMG Ray Stevenson would be PERFECT.
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Ray Stevenson Ray Stevenson RAY STEVENSON.
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Brian Cox for Wednesday. Read the book and place him in it and you'll see it fits. Shadow, I think, is allegedly the mix of all races of the Americas, so some people ask him if he's half black, some native american etc. I guess the whole point is to get someone big but quiet who can still blend in despite being a big guy. The racial aspect is actually less important than finding someone really tall and built but who doesn't act like an action hero. But if they could get Brian Cox...I could hear his voice as Wednesday and imagine his shit-eating grin as soon as I read his first lines on the plane.
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He's big, he's multi-ethnic, and he's easily mistaken for a dimwit even though he's not - all characteristics Shadow has. Mr. Wednesday should be James Coburn. Czernobog should be Brother Theodore. Mr. Nancy should be Scatman Caruthers. Too bad all those guys are dead.
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Sigh... At least we have HBO adapting Game of Thrones! CAN'T WAIT!
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April 15, 2011, 9:06 a.m. CST
"Neil Gaiman's work shouldn't be difficult to put on film"
by simndermot
Uh, what? Have you read any of it? Most people familiar with Neil Gaiman's work, are of the opinion it is not suited to film. Coraline worked out, I guess, but the vast majority of it is best left on the page. Some of the best news I've ever heard was that Sandman was no longer going to be filmed.
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I'm just saying, dudes scary as hell and talented as hell, cast him.
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Will someone please make that movie? I don't ask for much.
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only if you want it to suck. Vin Diesel may be all those things that rev mentioned but he's talentless
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is that both of those actors have a very commanding presence. Whoever plays Shadow needs to be able to, despite physical size, come across as somewhat small. Hollowed out. Someone that can, excuse the pun, just sort of be a shadow.
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"Mar 28, 2011 11:01:18 AM CDT Miniseries would be better.... by crazypants There is a shit ton of cool characters and set pieces in the book and no 2.5hr movie is going to be enough. Smart agents should be sending these geeky yet beloved books to Tom Hanks - he has the pull to get an 8hr 100 million dollar HBO series off the ground..." Told ya so. This should be great!
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Therefore, Shadow shouldn't be played by some big awful muscle-bound moron like Diesel or even someone like Dwayne Johnson, whom I love but is totally wrong for this role. And Hardy is just ghastly. The role should go to a big(ish) guy who can actually act: RAY STEVENSON, even his former co-star Kevin McKidd, Jon Hamm (YES), Christian Bale (one can dream, can't one?), Alexander Skarsgard (hey! He's actually Scandinavian! and check him out in Generation: Kill if you disagree with this), even Garret Dillahunt. There are so many better options than big beefy American idiots.
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How about a review of "Atlas Shrugged", which happens to be the second most influential book in history, right after The Bible. As far as I'm concerned that makes an Atlas Shrugged review more important than every movie review currently on the site.
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list at Amazon. Up 172% over last week.
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...Rip Torn as Wednesday. I s he too far gone to have this as his big comeback? And Lou Gosett Jr as Anansi (sp?)
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And it's all unashamedly inspired by Douglas Adams, which is great too. Good news, can't wait to see how it turns out. I thought the adaptation of Stardust was excellent, and gives me hope.
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April 17, 2011, 5:29 a.m. CST
I didn't like American Gods that much, don't think they will be consulting Neil
by White
I didn't like American Gods that much but I may still watch this. And I don't think they will be consulting Neil Gaiman.
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Should be great I love most of the series produced on HBO!
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